{"id":51899,"date":"2021-10-07T09:08:11","date_gmt":"2021-10-07T16:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=51899"},"modified":"2021-10-07T09:55:57","modified_gmt":"2021-10-07T16:55:57","slug":"disability-employment-awareness-month-creating-a-more-inclusive-accessible-future-of-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/disability-employment-awareness-month-creating-a-more-inclusive-accessible-future-of-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Disability Employment Awareness Month: Creating a More Inclusive & Accessible Future of Work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editor\u2019s Note: Over the past few years, more of the world has started to adopt and recognize National Disability Employment Awareness Month. At Salesforce, inclusion is an important part of our workplace culture, so in light of this global adoption, we have decided to honor a more inclusive celebration, simply called \u2018Disability Employment Awareness Month.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

October marks Disability Employment Awareness Month<\/a> (DEAM), recognizing the contributions of people with disabilities, generating awareness, and encouraging improved employment opportunities. This year\u2019s theme is \u201cAmerica\u2019s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion,\u201d a nod to the considerable impact of the pandemic on the disability community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pandemic has uncovered many societal inequities. Among the most impacted by recent employment losses are the estimated 1 billion people worldwide currently living with a disability \u2014 a growing figure due to aging, and most recently, the long-term effects of COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding the disability employment gap <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For the disability community, the pandemic has introduced an additional set of challenges such as isolation, exclusion, and a greater lack of equal access to technology. Since the start of the pandemic, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities has increased by 4.5%<\/a> in the United States alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This high employment gap can be blamed on a combination of factors, including false perceptions about the capabilities of workers with disabilities and insufficient investments in disability programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnfortunately, there can be scenarios where the result of the poor social attitudes and stereotypes can come true if the environment is disabling towards people with disabilities,\u201d said Salesforce Accessibility Support Engineer Darrell Hilliker, who has been blind since birth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If companies were to invest more in training and recruiting, Salesforce and others believe they\u2019d find that people with disabilities \u201ccan ease talent shortages and add to the organizational diversity that drives better decision-making and innovation,\u201d explained Caroline Casey, creator of The Valuable 500<\/a>, a group working toward greater inclusion in the workforce for the disability community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broadening the inclusiveness of a workforce requires much more than simply hiring more diverse candidates. It demands modifications to hiring infrastructure and specific protocols to ensure new employees won\u2019t just survive, but thrive<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Providing inclusive employment opportunities <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

People with disabilities are critical to an innovative and inclusive culture and deserve an equal opportunity to gain skills for meaningful employment. To do this, Salesforce has created workforce programs designed for people with disabilities in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n